A Man Apart (US - DVD R1)

A Vin Diesel movie is guaranteed to make loadsa money isn't it? Well that wasn't the case with A Man Apart, but is it re...

IntroductionEven before the theatrical release of A Man Apart, the movie was plagued by various issues which resulted in it spending a large amount of time in New Line's basement awaiting a release date. The title of the movie had to be changed from its original working name of Diablo because legal action was threatened by Blizzard Entertainment, who argued that they had trademarked their video game of the same title. The ending of the movie was also rumoured to have been re-shot at the last minute due to the cast's busy schedule. All of these issues couldn't have helped the movie, and it was no great surprise when it passed through cinemas in a blink of an eye. Now it's the turn of the DVD to try and claw back some credit.

MovieSean Vetter (Vin Diesel) is a NARC officer who is extremely dedicated to his job, but unlike his fellow colleagues he leaves his work in the office at the end of the day. Vetter is a softie at heart, and loves nothing more than going home to his beautiful wife Stacy (Jacqueline Obradors) at the end of a long day at the office. However, his perfect life is about to take a dramatic turn for the worse, and these problems stem from a drug raid. The main target for the raid is legendary drug baron Memo Lucero (Geno Silva), who has been credited with many years of drug trafficking within Mexico and America. The raid doesn't go to plan, but after a long pursuit, Vetter manages to catch Lucero and bring him to justice. Upon his arrest Lucero warns his captor that he making a mistake.

Those words come back to haunt Vetter after his wife is murdered by intruders at their home. The obvious culprits appear to be Lucero's gang, but after some investigation Vetter is not convinced that the drug baron is to blame. There is a new dealer on the streets, who goes by the name of "Diablo" and maybe using Memo's downfall as a way of building up his own business. Vetter sets about working his way up the drug chain hoping to find the killer, while at the same time taking his revenge. Aiding Vetter with his investigation is best friend Demetrius Hicks (Larenz Tate). The pair enter the dangerous drug world, but are they fully prepared for the corruption and violence that they are about to meet head-on?

Vin Diesel has taken Hollywood by storm, and his role in this film followed on from previous movies such as Pitch Black, xXx and Fast and The Furious. There is no doubt that he has the screen presence to carry a film, but up until now his acting abilities have been in question. Well that’s about to change after his role in A Man Apart. The movie is about much more than action set pieces, and Vin Diesel has to show his worth as an actor as well. That he does with flying colours and the movie benefits from this.

It's safe to say that the plot behind this film is far from original, but even so, the whole thing is pretty pleasing to the eye. Halfway through the movie there is a very impressive shoot-out which is worth the purchase fee alone. As mentioned above, the ending was rumoured to have been re-shot, but it doesn't show. People have criticised the ending but in my opinion there were only so many ways the movie could have ended, and this was the best one. Before reading this review you may not even have heard of A Man Apart, but hopefully this review will change your mind. I implore you to give it a go, as it will certainly keep you engrossed and entertained for the duration.

VideoNew Line Home Video have packaged two transfers with this release. Upon loading the disc, you are given the choice between full-frame and widescreen transfers. For the purpose of this review I am going to concentrate solely on the widescreen transfer. This is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, which is the theatrical aspect ratio. A Man Apart is deliberately shot to look restrained and gritty. The colour palette is restricted to muted colours which compliment the gritty storyline. A lot of the movie is shot in the dark, but blacks appeared solid and true throughout. The image itself is impressive, appearing clear, precise and full of detail. The movie may not have set the world alight during its theatrical release, but New Line have pulled out all the stops here to ensure that it gets the best presentation on DVD. That said, I did notice a few specks on the print during the opening sequence. There are occasional signs of edge enhancements, but they are not obvious, while compression artifacts were nowhere to be seen. Grain was kept to a reasonable level as well and never became an issue.

AudioA Man Apart is presented with both an English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack and French stereo surround track. As I don't speak French, this review will concentrate solely on the English 5.1 track, so apologies to our foreign readers. For the most part this is a pretty restrained track, but during some of the action-packed shoot-outs it really kicks into action. Ambient noises occasionally make their way to the rears, but it’s during the action scenes that the rears get a good workout. Gun shots and speeding cars are just a few sound effects that whiz past your ears during these scenes. Dialogue levels are also clear and never become mumbled even during some of the more active scenes.

ExtrasDue to its poor theatrical release, New Line Pictures seem to have decided not to make much effort as far as extras are concerned. First up is the theatrical trailer, which promotes the movie in a good light, makes it look enthralling and also left me bemused as to why people chose to ignore it at the cinema, even though the trailer makes the movie look quite good. The trailer lasts for just over two and a half minutes.

The next extra on this disc is a section of deleted scenes, of which there are seven. The scenes can be played as one single clip or may be individually selected. The scenes vary as to their position in the movie and also differ considerably in length. Overall, this is an average set of deleted scenes, consisting of some good ones and some less worthwhile contributions.

The final extras on this disc are housed in a section called More From New Line, and are essentially adverts for other New Line Pictures releases. Advertised in this section are Run Ronnie Run! (DVD), and Highwaymen (cinema release).

OverallA Man Apart was for the most part ignored upon its theatrical release, and that is a shame. It may not add anything new to the revenge genre, but it is still an entertaining escapade which includes some fun action scenes along the way. As for the disc, it oozes class, well that is if you ignore the extras section. The transfer is a wonderful example of how DVD is the best format to date, while the soundtrack is subtle but purposeful. Sadly, and I suppose understandably, New Line Pictures have decided to spend little time and effort on the extras. Whether this will influence peoples’ decision to purchase this disc, only time will tell. However, if you are looking for an entertaining few hours, and want to witness one of Hollywood's hottest action stars in the process, then make sure you check out A Man Apart.

17th March 2006 10:05#1

Quick Reply

Message

Enter the message here then press submit. The username, password and message are required. Please make the message constructive, you are fully responsible for the legality of anything you contribute. Terms & conditions apply.